7 replies to this topic

[Dimeb4g]

so let me apologise, this may go on and become a rant... but its fresh on my mind... so here goes

took the car to the local subaru dealer for 250k service, timing belt etc etc

they charged me $1400 Odd dollars, which i was fine with, however i got it home and i smelt coolant and hot water, in a vapor as soon as i got out... i just though it was because of a service... and it would go away.

after about 3 weeks, i got sick of the smell... even after short drives, and i got fed up with the waterfall noise, and she overheated on me once..

i took it back there, and they tell me that they will have a look at it, and that it wont cost me a cent ( which it did, but thats not the point right now)

making a long story short, they inform me that i had a head gasket leak, and the heads needed to be done, but as it is consuming oil they recommend an engine replacement.

after i got it back fom them i couldnt smell anything and it wasnt making the usual gushing noise. i drove it to Augusta (about a 300km round trip and it didnt lose a drop of coolant, nor could you smell anything....

I decided that this wasnt sitting well with me and took it to my usual mechanic ( who i wish i had have seen in the first instance... i guess i just got mesmerised by going genuine... ) and he did an exhaust gas test and it didnt register anything at all... then he put the thing on the exhaust and it went yellow instantly...

he says from what he can tell i dont have a problem, however i do have some leaks with spark plug tubes and things that i need to get rectified sometime soon...

whats really got my goat, is why has subaru told me that i have a head gasket problem, when it would appear that i dont!?

did they think they could tell me shit and i would just do what they said??

anyone else ever had anything like this??

I know i put my self out there to be ridiculed. but expletive it, i am annoyed and i needed a vent!

thanks for your five minutes!

Jon!

[Nicko_]

My dad just bought a Gen 3 wagon from melbourne. He found receipts in the service book from a dealership that totalled about $6000. One service alone was $4000, the parts list was huge and most of those weren't even needed. The car only has 140k on it. I guess the good part about this is he just bought a car that has heaps of new parts so its a win

Dealerships will always try and play you if they see you as someone unknowing and one to go "yeah no worries heres my credit card" (not saying you are). They thought my dad was one of those people and he's actually a mechanic. Once they realised they quickly started changing their story

[Dimeb4g]

yeah its a shame... because we support their brand by driving their cars and loving them... we should be treated like gold if we go there with a car that needs a service...and should want to come back... but trust me! i wont be!

[Morgan]

I suppose it's not a particularly unusual story which is unfortunate.

I'm glad you got a second opinion but Subaru really need a kick up the pants. Thought about writing to head office or something and making a formal complaint? A engine swap is a big difference to the actual issue...

Keep us updated

[Xon]

Timing belt at 250k? Don't timing belts only need to be done at 100,000km intervals?

[aekOne]

yeah +1 morgan!

not an uncommon story unfortunately. Morgan next meet have a chat to paul about the issues he's had with subaru over here in Sydney...

he did the letter thing, explaining his issue with his car + the experiences with dealers as well as telling them he's a founding member of a subaru enthusiast club, has owned many subarus including an import legacy and still owns a mint gen 1 RS (as well as his gen 4 daily) and was long time member of the NSW WRX Owners club etc. They didn't even bother to reply

[Morgan]

While Subaru aren't a 'prestige' car make, I think their cars are fantastic for the money. For 20 years, they have nailed how to combine comfort, style, luxury and power into a package which is affordable.

It is SUCH a shame that they can't handle a complaint from a genuine enthusiast. I'm also sure it's not just Paul who has experienced that kind of treatment...

[Dimeb4g]

Timing belt at 250k? Don't timing belts only need to be done at 100,000km intervals?

i bought the car fairly cheap with 227k on her, but with not much service history... so i decided that i would do the timing belt at 250k for piece of mind...
and it would end the annoying oil leak from the camseal... which would be a good thing...

i know the head of consumer protection very well over here... so if they dont want to come to the party and play the game, they can play another one for all i am concerned...